What bothers me is that a draft dodger, and a person who says POWs are not heroís because they were captured is supposedly more patriotic then a player doing a peaceful protest of police brutality. I am a veteran and have no problem with them kneeling or raising a fist. I have more of a problem with a president who continually lies and tells players they should leave the country if they donít stand.

You guys are all entitled to your opinions, but the NFL lost fans because of it and that is why they are addressing it. Not really about what you all think, it's about all the people who were outraged by it. I didn't like it, and I am watching less football because of that and the Chargers moving. Other people in my family, the same thing. I don't think they cared about the protests a whit until ratings went down.

this has been discussed over and over ad naseum, they are at a place of work

freedom of speech does not exist at your place of work. never has never will

the guys kneeling were doing so as a look at me! how many times a week can every NFL player talk to a reporter, have a press conference to make his point.

don't do it as a disrespect for the flag, the country and the servicemen, that's where they lost people

and that money lost I am sure they will be bitching about collusion or how their contracts are smaller in the future, cause a ton of people have left the game and won't come back

well duh - of course they were saying "look at me" - they were trying to get a message across that the police - certain members - might be less than1% - might need to do a better job or at least hold them accountable for their actions when people of color are dying for things that they probably shouldn't die from, be arrested for.

it did start a dialogue and probably now - its time for actions and not kneeling..

so of course i was being facetious above about the toilet; glad DAron confirmed about the concession - that's fair.

i just thought it was odd Kerr spoke about against this when the NBA has the same damn policy since Mahmoud Abdul Raouf 20 years ago - or very similar!

this has been discussed over and over ad naseum, they are at a place of work

Forcing patriotism at work is Un-American. The players were required to be on the field for the anthem, for the lovva gawd! They didn't have the option of staying in the locker room. And the owners didn't get the buy-in from the Players' Union before instituting rules about the matter.

You act like there's a consensus that kneeling-- KNEELING!-- is disrespectful to the flag, when that is not the case. Plenty of military support the players taking a knee, and it was an Army Ranger, was it not?, who RECOMMENDED taking a knee as a respectful way to call attention to the unequal distribution of 'justice' in this country.

Stadium crews leave massive American flag banners lying in the dirt at the foot of the stands after use during a halftime show, and somehow THAT isn't disrespectful to the flag, but KNEELING is?!? The hypocrisy is thick enough to cut with a machete.

If the players were MOONING during the anthem, I'd agree with you.

They aren't though.

__________________
"Believe nothing-- no matter where you read it, or who has said it, even if I have said it-- unless it agrees with your own reason, and your own common sense."

Forcing patriotism at work is Un-American. The players were required to be on the field for the anthem, for the lovva gawd! They didn't have the option of staying in the locker room. And the owners didn't get the buy-in from the Players' Union before instituting rules about the matter.

You act like there's a consensus that kneeling-- KNEELING!-- is disrespectful to the flag, when that is not the case. Plenty of military support the players taking a knee, and it was an Army Ranger, was it not?, who RECOMMENDED taking a knee as a respectful way to call attention to the unequal distribution of 'justice' in this country.

Stadium crews leave massive American flag banners lying in the dirt at the foot of the stands after use during a halftime show, and somehow THAT isn't disrespectful to the flag, but KNEELING is?!? The hypocrisy is thick enough to cut with a machete.

If the players were MOONING during the anthem, I'd agree with you.

They aren't though.

why has there been no outrage over the same policy being in place in the NBA for all these years?

and yes kneeling itself is disrespectful during the anthem. Why because the anthem is about this great country, and you kneeling is making it about YOU

and every corporation in this country has a right to do whatever it wants with its employees, and if you don't like it, there is the door

people like you can spin it however you like but 70+ % of this country agrees you should honor the flag. It was even higher before this started

(2) 70% of Americans agree the flag should be honored, but STOP PRETENDING that there is a broad consensus about what constitutes 'respect'. As you so conveniently ignored, it was a military career man who recommended to Colin Kaepernick that he take a knee as his demonstration. Mooning the flag? You and I presumably agree that would cross the line? Kneeling? You and I disagree, as do a whole lot of other people. Your opinion is your opinion and doesn't constitute FACT just because you want it to.

(3) By YOUR logic, saying "Make America Great Again" is criticism of the country ("What?!?!? You're saying the country isn't great NOW?!? HOW DARE YOU, YOU COMMIE PINKO PIG!!!") and therefore disrespectful and something we ought not utter publicly.

(4) You know who says "people like YOU"? Racists. End of story.

Good night now.

__________________
"Believe nothing-- no matter where you read it, or who has said it, even if I have said it-- unless it agrees with your own reason, and your own common sense."

If you decide not to follow your employer's rules, you can seek greener pastures and become part of the homeless throng enveloping the City or even better joining the new Alliance of American Football. Everyone accounts to someone.

Football is entertainment. That is all it is. People did not like the protests.
They stopped watching football. That is what happened. They absolutely have the right to do that, regardless of what anyone else thinks. It is a two way street, and you can't support the players and condemn others for exercising their rights. Well I guess you can, but that is a double standard you are applying. The NFL reacted to falling ratings, and why can't they? The players are their employees, if you want to protest, do it on your own time.

(2) 70% of Americans agree the flag should be honored, but STOP PRETENDING that there is a broad consensus about what constitutes 'respect'. As you so conveniently ignored, it was a military career man who recommended to Colin Kaepernick that he take a knee as his demonstration. Mooning the flag? You and I presumably agree that would cross the line? Kneeling? You and I disagree, as do a whole lot of other people. Your opinion is your opinion and doesn't constitute FACT just because you want it to.

(3) By YOUR logic, saying "Make America Great Again" is criticism of the country ("What?!?!? You're saying the country isn't great NOW?!? HOW DARE YOU, YOU COMMIE PINKO PIG!!!") and therefore disrespectful and something we ought not utter publicly.

(4) You know who says "people like YOU"? Racists. End of story.

Good night now.

1) I am not saying you as in you, I am saying the person who is kneeling is making it about themself

2) I don't care who told him to do that, had Kaepernick never been benched this likely never happens. Again, I don't think kneeling is so much disrespect, as I feel that Football is entertainment, and I dont want to see it being politicized. I also think that a business has every right to set their policies, and if you dont like it then tough ****, go somewhere else. As far as Kaep, its cause his girlfriend is a islamist BLMer, again BLM started on a false pretense

3) is a slogan nothing more than Hope and Change, which brought zero Hope and nothing but Change for the worse

4) You know who makes everything about race? The left.

I would have the same stance if it was all white guys doing it. As a matter of fact the biggest jackass imo is Chris Long

If i start protesting social conditions at work, the plight of polar bears, or the dangers of GMOs, ... i’ll be fired. It’s not that players don’t have a right to protest, its that they don’t have a right to protest while at work.

I don’t see why this is hard to understand. Players are free to go out to the town square every night and protest unjust slaughter of innocents. (Except 4 team per week Sun and Mon night, of course )

So we have a president who disrespects women, people with disabilities, POWs, blacks, and basically anybody who doesn’t worships him, but yet a few players peacefully protesting is the problem? Wow the country has jumped the shark. Trump is ****ed at the NFL because they didn’t want his bankrupting *** in their league, so now he is trying to bring them down. Trump should have stayed out of this. And him telling players they can leave the country is also messed up. How about his draft dodging *** leaving the country!

So we have a president who disrespects women, people with disabilities, POWs, blacks, and basically anybody who doesnít worships him, but yet a few players peacefully protesting is the problem? Wow the country has jumped the shark. Trump is ****ed at the NFL because they didnít want his bankrupting *** in their league, so now he is trying to bring them down. Trump should have stayed out of this. And him telling players they can leave the country is also messed up. How about his draft dodging *** leaving the country!